Other local sources

Me!

(No,just kidding.)

There are some things that I decide to sell from time to time, but definitely not a dealer (anymore).

  As a hobbyist, I don't think I've ever acquired more stuff since I have been out of the business,and it has been about 25 years. Truth of the matter is, it is really tough to make a living selling audio, odds very much against you, and you can remain much more passionate if your livelihood doesn't depend on it.

  Other sources would include my friend Joe who runs a repair shop (Service Technology) and knows people who know people who might be interested in this or that.

  Craigslist, of course- that great place where all they do is argue about the value of Ipads.

  Ebay Classifieds- many people don't realize this exists. Localized for your city or town.

 Garage sales, for God's sake, go back a few posts and just look at the GE school phonograph I bought for $10!

   Saw a Marantz Model 7 next to a Charm Glow grill in Pittsford! Only problem is they wanted $4000. for it. (Just kidding). My point again is there is a wealth of this stuff in this town, you just need a little luck and know where to look for it.

Sound Source

  More of a pro audio store than a hi-fi shop, you will find an occasional treasure here. I have bought horns, woofers, DAT machines, reel to reels, hospital grade AC cords, tubes, styli, solder,shrink tubing, grill cloth and other great little trinkets- spl meter, what have you. Very reasonable prices, and a couple of the employees were actually in the hi fi biz years ago. Big DJ selection, many used tables, mainly direct drive Technics, Stantons, Denon,etc.

        Link:   http://www.soundsource.com/

Audio Renaissance

A little off the beaten path in an office park suite near Brighton Henrietta Townline Rd.

Owned by Craig Sypnier who is realizing his dream in opening a small shop. A good local place to go for belts and styli, he has access to a few good brands, and can special order them for you. In business for roughly a year, he devotes several hours a week in addition to working a full time job. Best of luck to him, and I hope he continues to grow.

Audio Sound Solutions

Kind of an audio thrift shop located in East Rochester. Owned by Mike Fenton who has been doing it for a number of years. Not a lot of high end gear, but you might occasionally be surprised by what you find there. He moved to this location a few years ago when he bought this building. Formerly known as Avalanche Audio when he was located on East Ave. If nothing else, interesting to walk through and see some of the artifacts of years past. Everything from old antique tabletop radios to large floor speakers and power amps  from the '70s and '80s.


      Link: http://www.audiosoundsolutions.net/index.html

Dave Lane's Stereo Shop

In the '80s, the Stereo Shop in Greece was a real thorn in my side! Part of Stereo Advantage, based in Buffalo, thay offered Klipsch speakers there but not here.The trans ship franchise rule was in effect, but they would tell people to listen to the speakers at JB, and they would get them cheaper if you wanted them. Klipsch would not enforce this because of the amount of business they gave them. Basically part of a large buying group, they did indeed have a "Stereo Advantage".

 Fast forward almost thirty years later, Dave Lane has seperated himself from the group. The enthusiast audiophile of the group, Dave has always been able to seperate business from pleasure. My friend Bob Hamme was a partner up until about 10 years ago. I have done a lot of horse trading with Bob over the years, and we still "chew the fat" from time to time.

 This Henrietta location is unique from the other Stereo Shop locations in that it offers amongst other things Kef (including the Reference series),Martin Logan, Marantz ,NAD, Velodyne, Definitive Technologies, PSB, Denon, Polk, and Onkyo. They recently picked up Rega, god bless them.

  Location,location, location, and they are in college town.

  Bought a couple of TVs from them,like to see local business do well.

    link:   http://stopattheshop.com/index.html

Current dealers in the Rochester area

There are actually a couple of bricks and mortar stores that are still functioning after several years, their business models may have changed somewhat, but good that the quality audio gear has not completely disappeared from the Rochester marketplace!

There are also a few manufacturers still in the area,  respected names in even the most elite circles. I consider them each worth addressing individually, and will go into a little more detail than I did with with the now defunct dealers.

                                                             ROWE AUDIO VIDEO

Rowe Photo, as they are technically known are a B&W, McIntosh, Klipsch, Anthem, Paradigm, Rotel, and Yamaha dealer as well as many other brands. They recently picked up the Sumiko Project line of turntables (god bless them), and have been a haven for used gear over the years.

Ebay and Audiogon have dramatically changed the market for used gear, and the local inventories reflect that. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) other states or countries are willing to pay much more for quality used gear than we are. 

I can remember buying Apogee Duetta Signatures, Quad ESL63's, Mirage M3s, Aragon power amps,Quicksilver tube amps, and most recently my Mac Mc275  MkV from there.

A couple of seasoned audio professionals still work there, including my good friend Rich Ciaraldi who worked with me at JB Sound. 

Richard Rowe is a gentleman, and the lastest generation to run this family business. A few years ago he grew the store from one to three, butting heads with the big box stores.

  Interesting that photography and audio took a similar swing, with digital and simplified audio systems the household norm currently.

They found a niche a few years back with laser discs, A rental library of such and I will admit I was a willing participant. I still have over 400 laser discs today, and unlike my Beta tapes I still use them.

  They also popularized the LCD front projector, and I bought no fewer than a half dozen Sharps and others from them over the years.

  In the used heyday I was there probably an average of three days a week, afraid of missing something if I didn't show up.  Asked Rich, "Is there anything in the back that you are getting ready to bring out?"

Glad they are still around, and I would recommend them to anybody.

Link:   http://www.rowephoto.com/homeTheaters.php

  The Analog Shop

Bob Lietz has been a friend for years, and I worked with him at JB. I always gave him credit for having the guts to step out from JB and start his own shop. He has been very successful , and has been open in the village of Victor for almost 20. He has had some pretty impressive stuff, and I give him credit as well for helping to keep analog alive when it became almost extinct in the '80s. 

He currently sells Linn, SME, Rega, Project, CAT, Sonus Faber, EAR, and can special order many more high quality products.

Link: http://analogshop.com/

Turntable synopsis

Anyone else sick of reading about turntables?

  The next grouping will be about Ipods/ MP3s/ digital downloads.

   NOT!

  BLECCH! BARF! PUKE!

  I remember when CDs took over the entetainment world in 2005, convenience sold. Free music sells today.

 Sells?

Ok. I leave you with  pictures of my proudest acquisitions- the reproduction Victrola from Overstock.com and my RCA school phonograph purchased from the Browncroft  garage sale last spring- mint WITH a good needle and owners manual for $10.! The Vic starts out fast and ends up slow, occasionally having to rewind the crank in the middle.Great for annoying people at Christmas time. The RCA is spot on- great for square dancing.

These are two really cool props I have in my analog hall of fame.

Charging admission- plan your vacations now. These tickets are selling fast!